Anti-Hero || Leo Valdez

14 - Oh, Look at That. I've Been Impaled (Via's Version)

Leo flew them into the sunroom through the biggest window, which barely fit Festus' claw. He had to lower Lityerses into Lydia and Calypso's arms, and from there they set him on a bed.

Getting Via inside was harder. Leo had helped her onto Festus' back instead of having the dragon pick her up with his claws, deeming it smarter to have someone literally riding shotgun, someone who was able to return enemy fire. Via had only allowed herself a moment of feeling flustered at being this close to him before snapping out of it and trying to focus on the Germani that were trying to spear them down.

Festus hovered slightly downward, allowing Via to climb down from his back through the window. She dropped down safely onto the floor.

"Thanks for the ride," she called to Leo.

Leo gave her a mock salute. "Anytime, Sunshine!" Then he froze for a second, glancing in a panic at Calypso, who hadn't been paying attention because she was helping bandage Lit's head, before throwing a quick smile in her direction and flying back into battle.

Via frowned. Weird.

He'd had a moment like that yesterday when Via was apologizing for smacking him upside the head and leaving him on the cold, hard ground of the med bay to go off on her ill-fated solo mission. He'd called her Sunshine then, too, then looked shocked and slightly furious at himself for calling her that. Maybe he thought it was flirting and he was feeling guilty that he was kind of going behind Calypso's back?

Via had no clue. Boys were so confusing.

To be fair, girls weren't that much better. Via had harbored a crush on Piper McLean the few months that they'd been at Camp at the same time, and she felt like the daughter of Aphrodite was always sending mixed signals. She'd complain that her relationship with her boyfriend Jason Grace wasn't really feeling super fulfilling and drop hints that she had a slight interest in some of the girls at camp, and Via would plot and plan how to ask her out for the next few days, only for Piper to start gushing about how amazing and incredible Jason was the next time they spoke.

It was so frustrating.

Maybe she needed to stop falling for people who were already taken. It would save her so much trouble.

But as she watched Leo flying around and blasting fire at Commodus' army, Via knew that was easier said than done.

She shook away thoughts of Leo's panic at the nickname he'd given her (again, weird), and focused her energy on healing patients again. Lit was back on his feet in no time, thanking Via, Evelyn, Lydia, and Calypso for their help before grabbing his sword and rushing back into the action. Crystal joined him on his way out. With the two of them gone, there were now only three patients, the ones whose injuries were so severe that they hadn't been healed as quickly.

"Quick work on this guy," Evelyn praised Via, patting the cot currently occupied by a patient who'd literally been torn in half. Via had nearly passed out after spending so much healing energy on him. She was still feeling drained, and had to resort to non-magical healing techniques. This time Evelyn and Lydia took their shift helping people outside.

"Hey!" Via glanced up from bandaging a wound to see Leo outside the window again. "That loud girl who called me short needs help!"

Via snorted at what Leo had called Evelyn. "Got it — watch out!" she shrieked as one of the excavator arms was hurled at him. She dropped the bandages, whipped out her bow and dove out the window, tackling Leo off of Festus. She hit the red button for the grappling hook arrow, nocked it, shot it, then grabbed Leo's arm just as it anchored itself on the balcony above the sunroom. Via watched in horror as the excavator arm soared over their heads and slammed Festus into the roof with a terrible metal-on metal sound.